BRING ALL PROSTITUTES TO ME - MINISTER OWEN

MBABANE – “Bring all the prostitutes to me!” These were the words of Manzini South Constituency Member of Parliament Owen Nxumalo.

Nxumalo, who doubles as the Minister of Public Service, said there was about E1.5 million that could be used in his constituency to empower those who were willing to leave the sex trade.

He was interviewed following the arrest of 30 sex workers on Tuesday night by the police on the streets of Manzini; which is a town under his constituency. The arrests were noted as an attempt to ‘clean up’ the city centre and came a month after it had been reported that the city streets were infested with the ‘ladies of the night’.

He said: “These sex workers were always posing near most of the traffic lights and with some barely covered in any form of clothing; which is uncouth when travelling with minors.”

The elected MP tossed out the excuse that had been forwarded by many during their appearance at the Manzini Swazi National Court, that they were engaging in such a practice due to unemployment. Instead, he pleaded with his electorate, who engaged in such, to approach him or the constituency to be aided with funds.

“We have a fund that is aimed at alleviating poverty among the constituents and it can be accessible to them instead of engaging in sex work, which will end up being a drain to the country financially.” He said Manzini South would not be empowering sex workers per se; but would be empowering those who resided within the constituency with life skills as means to curb sex work. The funding, according to the minister, would be from the Regional Development Fund (RDF). The RDF was recently fine-tuned for development purposes, according to the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development, which allocates the money to all the country’s constituencies.Nxumalo said through this fund, his constituency had already empowered residents with business opportunities that include but not limited to buying tents and sound systems, which they then hire out to the public.